Tile Leveling System

ABSTRACT

A novel form of tile leveling system is disclosed which is made of a metallic material and used for aligning and leveling tiles as they are laid in floors, walls, countertops, or the like. The device has a locking assembly and a bottom plate combined with a shaft that extends from the bottom plate through the locking assembly so that the locking assembly is movable along the length.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

This invention relates to improvements in system for leveling adjacenttiles as they are laid in floors, walls, countertops, and the like.

Description of the Related Art

Tile has become a popular choice for use in floors, walls, countertops,and the like. Both professional tile installers and do-it-yourselfersspend a great deal of time aligning and leveling tiles as the tiles arebeing placed on a substrate's surface. Proper alignment and leveling ofeach tile is important for a number of reasons. One reason is that ifone tile is improperly placed, the error will continue in adjacent tilessuch that the installation will be unacceptable and the tiles will haveto be replaced and/or ground and polished until the tiles are level orflat. In addition to aesthetic reasons, a level surface is important intile floors so that people do not trip and fall on unevenly laid tiles.Replacing or otherwise correcting errors in tile installation takes timethat adds to the total cost of the installation.

Laying and leveling tile can also be problematic because tiles can shiftand sink into mortar as the mortar dries, making it necessary tocontinually monitor newly laid tiles as the mortar dries to ensure thatthe tiles remain level. This can be very time consuming and frustratingfor an installer. Tile installers have used a variety of devices andmethods to maintain quality tile installation while completing theinstallation process. However, conventional devices and techniques arelabor intensive, expensive, time consuming, complicated, and do notalways work properly.

By looking at prior art multiple advancements have been seen in similarregards. For instance, EP2573296A1 discloses a leveling spacer forlaying wall tiles, floor tiles and the like with interposing spaces,comprising a base, a threaded stein and a button. US20100287868discloses a device for aligning and leveling tiles as they are placed onfloors, walls, countertops, or the like. The device has a lockingassembly and a bottom plate. Document US20100263304 discloses a levelingdevice for the placement of pieces to cover floors and the like. Thedevice comprises a tile spacer comprising a base for engaging a bottomsurface of each of the four adjacent tiles to be spaced and leveled anda stein projecting upward from the base, the stein comprising a tilealignment portion which it has a cross-shaped profile, a frangibleportion located between the base and the tile alignment portion, aplurality of teeth located on top of the tile alignment portion, saiddevice further comprising a tile leveler for engaging an upper surfaceof the four adjacent tiles, the tile leveler comprising an opening toreceive the stein portion of the tile spacer, a ratchet mechanism sothat the tile leveler is restricted to move only down the length of thestein toward the base, a stein engaging portion comprising one or moreprojections to engage with the plur tooth portion of the stein portion,wherein at least one of the projections and teeth are elastic andoriented to allow one-way movement of the stein relative to the steinengaging portion; wherein, in use, the tile spacer is located at theintersection of the four adjacent tiles so that the base is below thefour adjacent tiles, and each tile rests on one corner of the alignmentportion to space the four adjacent tiles at a predetermined distancefrom each other; and wherein, in use, the four adjacent tiles areleveled by applying a clamping force on the four adjacent tiles betweenthe base and the tile leveler, to simultaneously level the four adjacenttiles.

WO2011012994 discloses a hand tool for applying a tile laying device toa surface to be coated comprising a work head having a support surfacethat is disposed, in use, next to a face of a portion of the device.

There is thus a need for a method and system for leveling tiles that isversatile, reusable, reliable, and fast.

None of the previous inventions and patents, taken either singly or incombination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.Hence, the inventor of the present invention proposes to resolve andsurmount existent technical difficulties to eliminate the aforementionedshortcomings of prior art.

SUMMARY

In light of the disadvantages of the prior art, the following summary isprovided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovativefeatures unique to the present invention and is not intended to be afull description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of theinvention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims,drawings, and abstract as a whole.

The primary object of the invention is related to providing a smart tileleveling system and is versatile, reusable, reliable, and fast innature.

Another object of the present invention is related to providing a smarttile leveling apparatus where the accuracy is ensured which provides theperfect finish to all type of masonry blocks including tiles, wood,paper, plastic and other which can be of any shape or size.

It is further the objective of the invention to provide a smartapparatus which is also economical and environment friendly.

It is further the objective of the invention to provide a device forleveling and aligning the position of tiles, for use when laying tileson a base, such as floors, walls, topcoats, etc.

It is further the objective of system which is able to level and securetiles for curing without having to rotate any parts on the top surfaceof the tiles. This is advantageous because rotation of parts on the topof the tiles may in some instances entrap debris including sand, whichhas the potential to scratch the tiles, especially softer marble tileswith highly polished surfaces.

It is also the objective of system which can be re-used in dozens,hundreds, or any other suitable number of jobs.

It is also the objective of invention to provide assembly which isfaster, more affordable, and easier to use.

This Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some exampleembodiments, so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects ofthe subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciatedthat the above-described features are merely examples and should not beconstrued to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter describedherein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of thesubject matter described herein will become apparent from the followingDetailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separateviews, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated inand form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrateembodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explainvarious principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of arrangement according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a back view of the arrangement according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures areillustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily beendrawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements inthe figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help toimprove understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

The apparatus and method components have been represented whereappropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only thosespecific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments ofthe present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with detailsthat will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the arthaving the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein.It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may beembodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed hereinare not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for theclaims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the artto employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailedsystem, structure or manner.

Tile has become a popular decorative and functional article for use infloors, walls, countertops, and the like. Both professional tileinstallers and do-it-yourselfers spend a great deal of time aligning andleveling tiles as the tiles are being placed on a substrate's surface.Proper alignment and leveling of each tile is important for a number ofreasons. One reason is that if one tile is improperly placed, the errorwill continue in adjacent tiles such that the installation will beunacceptable and the tiles will have to be replaced and/or ground andpolished until the tiles are level or flat. In addition to aestheticreasons for properly laying tile, a level surface is essential in tilefloors so that people do not trip and fall on unevenly laid tiles.“Lippage” occurs when the edge of one tile is higher than the adjacenttile to a degree where someone could trip. Replacing or otherwisecorrecting errors in tile installation (such as lippage or improper tilealignment) takes time that adds to the total cost of the tileinstallation.

Laying and leveling tile can be difficult because many substrates areuneven, such as the ground when laying tile for an outdoor patio. Inthis case, it can be difficult to raise the low areas of the substratewith mortar or other objects so that all the tiles are level. Further,tiles can shift and sink into mortar as the mortar dries. It hastraditionally been necessary to continually monitor newly laid tiles asthe mortar dries to ensure that the tiles remain level. Tile installershave used a variety of devices and methods to maintain quality tileinstallation while completing the installation process as fast aspossible. One basic method uses markings on the substrate surface.Marking the installation surface requires the mortar to be carefullyapplied such that the marks remain visible. Although this technique aidsin the alignment of the tiles, it does not keep the tiles level as theyare laid in the mortar. Further, the use of this marking techniqueincreases the amount of time required for the installation which resultsin increased cost.

Another device used for laying and leveling tile is a frame designed tospace tiles an appropriate distance. This type of frame is typically afixed grid which is designed for a specific tile size. One disadvantageof this type of device is that it is a fixed size which requires aprofessional installer to carry multiple frames in order to be capableof installing various tile sizes. A further disadvantage of this type offrame is that it is only capable of installing one type of tile at atime.

The present invention is directed to a tile leveling and alignmentdevice for use in installing tiles on substrates such as floors, walls,countertops, or the like. The invention comprises a main assembly and abottom plate combined with a shaft that extends from the bottom platethrough the locking assembly so that the locking assembly is movablealong the length of the shaft.

While a specific embodiment has been shown and described, manyvariations are possible. With time, additional features may be employed.The particular shape or configuration of the platform or the interiorconfiguration may be changed to suit the system or equipment with whichit is used.

Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art willappreciate that modifications may be made to the invention withoutdeparting from its spirit. Therefore, it is not intended that the scopeof the invention be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated anddescribed. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention bedetermined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader toquickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It issubmitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpretor limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in theforegoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features aregrouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claimsare hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claimstanding on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

1: The present invention is a tile leveling apparatus where: a shafthaving an upper portion and a lower portion; a “V” shaped bottom platecombined with the lower portion of the shaft, said bottom plate having acenter portion, a top surface, a bottom; and, where the bottom surfaceprovides the leveling system for the tiles in a convenient manner. 2: Atile leveling system wherein: As per claim 1, wherein structure is ableto level and secure tiles for curing without having to rotate any partson the top surface of the tiles; As per claim 1, wherein structure isadvantageous because rotation of parts on the top of the tiles may insome instances entrap debris including sand, which has the potential toscratch the tiles, especially softer marble tiles with highly polishedsurfaces; As per claim 1, wherein the system can be re-used in dozens,hundreds, or any other suitable number of jobs; and, As per claim 1,wherein structure does not require proprietary tools to the loadingsystem and tensioning member from a cured tile project, making thesystem faster, more affordable, and easier to use.